Fence batten



May 2, 1967 v. N. DUFF 3,317,190

FENCE BATTEN Filed Sept. 22, 1964 United States Patent 3,317,190 FENCE BATTEN Victor Nelson Duff, Opua, Northland, New Zealand, as-

signor to Cavo Patents Limited, Whangarei, Auckland, New Zealand Filed Sept. 22, 1964, Ser. No. 398,286 Claims priority, application New Zealand, Oct. 11, 1963, 136,237 2 Claims. (Cl. 25648) The invention relates to fence battens provided for the purpose of holding the, wires of fences spaced apart.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved fence batten of simple construction and arrangement which, due to its construction, is capable of exerting on the wires of a fence a tensioning effect to not only maintain the wires in a tautened condition, but in addition to lock the batten per se against movement on the wires of the fence.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of afiixing the batten to the wires of a fence, thus enabling the batten to be quickly and easily placed and fixed in position with a minimum of effort to maintain the wires of the fence tautened.

The present invention is directed to a batten for use with a fence having vertically spaced longitudinally extending wires, including a length of spring metal of flat formation and means capable of being attached to each wire of the fence adjacent alternate sides of the batten, said attaching means comprising a length of wire doubled on itself to provide a cross bar having a bent portion for partly extending about the batten and parallel legs spaced from each other and a hook portion at the free end of each leg capable of engaging a side of the batten, the arrangement being such that when the attaching means is positioned into operative relationship against the batten, the cross bar engages the wire and by distorting the batten the batten is placed under spring tension and the hook portions extend around the opposite side of the batten so that when the batten is freed, the batten deflects towards its original position for maintaining the hook portions in position and the wire against the batten.

The invention will now be described wit-h the aid of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of the imparted batten.

FIG. 2 is a view in plan of the batten attached to a fence wire by the hook.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hook used in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the front or rear surface of a batten used in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view in elevation of an edge of a batten used in accordance with this invention.

Referring now to the drawings fence batten 1 can be formed of any suitable material having resilient or spring resilient qualities such as metal, tempered or other wise, or a synthetic resin capable of being distorted against its spring tension to tension the batten -1. The batten 1 and the method of attaching the batten 1 to utilize the spring or resilient qualities of the material of the batten 1 to facilitate attachment of the batten 1 to fence wires 2 in a manner bracing or positively securing fence wires 2 from one another in a tight positive manner will now be described.

More specifically, has been described and made in the form of a length of spring metal of flat formation, the metal having spring resilient qualities so that when the batten 1 is bent or distorted it is placed under spring tension and reverts to its original formation when released.

Any suitable type of hook or attaching means can be the fence batten 1 is of the type as 3 ,317,190 Patented May 2, 1967 used but, as illustrated with particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, hooks 3 are of a bifurcated formation, i.e., each one shaped from a short length of wire of suitable gauge,

' the length of wire being doubled upon itself in a U-shaped formation and the free ends of the wire returned in a hooked lug formation as depicted at 3a.

The following is a description of attaching a batten 1 in position on a fence consisting of a number. of fence wires 2.

The batten 1 is placed vertically against the fence wire 2 so that the batten 1 crosses the wires 2 of the fence. The batten 1 is held manually in such a position and a U-shaped book 3 is engaged on the fence wire 2 beside one edge 1a of the batten 1 so that crotch or cross bar 3b of the hook 3- has a bent portion for partly extending about the batten and engages about the fence wire 2 (see FIG. 1). The hook 3 is then passed across the front surface of the batten 1 and the batten 1 is eased out from the wire so that the hooked lugs 3a of the book 3 can be engaged on opposite edge 1b of the batten 1 (see FIG. 2).

The batten 1 is held in such a position until the next hook 3 is passed about the next fence wire 2b below the topmost fence wire 2 adjacent the edge 1b of the batten 1 and passed across the front of the batten 1. The opposite edge 1a of the batten 1 is then gripped by any suitable tool and bent outwardly against its tension. The batten 1 is held by the upper hook 3 so that torsion is applied by distortion to the batten 1 by twisting the batten 1 with the tools. The bent over lugs 3a of the hook 3 are then engaged on the opposite edge 1a of the batten 1. The batten 1 is then released, and the batten 1 in endeavoring to resume its original formation under the torsional twist applied thereto, presses inwardly due to its spring tension and engages the hook 3 firmly thereto and to'the fence wire 2.

The next fence wire 20 in turn is secured to the batten 1 on the opposite side to the hook 3 immediately thereabove against the spring resilience of the batten 1 by twisting the batten 1 in the opposite direction to which the batten 1 has already been twisted in its engagement with the second wire 2b so that the spring resilence is adequate to firmly engage the batten 1 to the fence wire 2 when the batten '1 is released. The batten 1 is attached to each fence wire in turn in the manner as has been described so that the batten 1 is distorted or twisted alternately in its connection with the fence wires against its spring resilience which is utilized to hold the batten 1 firmly in position on the fence wire 2.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, it is preferred that the edges of the batten 1 be serrated as at 4, to assist in engaging the hooks 3 to the batten 1 to aid in preventing sideways movement such as may be encountered when an animal contacts the fence. Furthermore, as illustrated, indentations or recesses 5 are provided, on one or each surface of the batten 1 in which the wires 2 and bifurcations of the hook 3 lie when the hook 3 is engaged in position to aid in preventing vertical movement of the batten 1 on the wires 2.

The invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity to the showings in the drawings but changes or modifications may be made therein so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patents of the United States of America isi 1. A batten for use with a fence having vertically spaced longitudinally extending wires, comprising a length of spring metal having flat opposite surfaces and side edges and means capable of being attached to each wire of the fence adjacent alternate side edges of the batten, said attaching means comprising a length of wire shaped to provide a pair of spaced-apart substantially parallel legs, and a hook portion at one end of each leg and a cross bar connecting the other ends of said legs with the cross bar being displaced from the plane of the legs, said wires being located adjacent one surface of the batten and passing between the cross bar located adjacent one side edge and said surface of the batten, with said parallel legs overlying the other surface of said batten and having the hook portions engaging over the opposite side edge of the batten so that upon distortion of the batten, the batten is placed under spring tension whereby upon freeing of the batten, the batten deflects towards its initial position for maintaining the hook portions and wire against said one surface of the batten.

2. The batten as claimed in claim 1 in which each side of the batten is provided with serrations for assisting in engaging the hook portions and said one surface of the batten is provided with indentations for receiving the wires and hook portions to aid in preventing longitudinal movement of the batten relative to the wires.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. D. L. TAYLOR, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BATTEN FOR USE WITH A FENCE HAVING VERTICALLY SPACED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING WIRES, COMPRISING A LENGTH OF SPRING METAL HAVING FLAT OPPOSITE SURFACES AND SIDE EDGES AND MEANS CAPABLE OF BEING ATTACHED TO EACH WIRE OF THE FENCE ADJACENT ALTERNATE SIDE EDGES OF THE BATTEN, SAID ATTACHING MEANS COMPRISING A LENGTH OF WIRE SHAPED TO PROVIDE A PAIR OF SPACED-APART SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL LEGS, AND A HOOK PORTION AT ONE END OF EACH LEG AND A CROSS BAR CONNECTING THE OTHER ENDS OF SAID LEGS WITH THE CROSS BAR BEING DISPLACED FROM THE PLANE OF THE LEGS, SAID WIRES BEING LOCATED ADJACENT ONE SURFACE OF THE BATTEN AND PASSING BETWEEN THE CROSS BAR LOCATED ADJACENT ONE SIDE EDGE AND SAID SURFACE OF THE BATTEN, WITH SAID PARALLEL LEGS OVERLYING THE OTHER SURFACE OF SAID BATTEN AND HAVING THE HOOK PORTIONS ENGAGING OVER THE OPPOSITE SIDE EDGE OF THE BATTEN SO THAT UPON DISTORTION OF THE BATTEN, THE BATTEN ISPLACED UNDER SPRING TENSION WHEREBY UPON FREEING OF THE BATTEN, THE BATTEN DEFLECTS TOWARDS ITS INITIAL POSITION FOR MAINTAINING THE HOOK PORTIONS AND WIRE AGAINST SAID ONE SURFACE OF THE BATTEN. 